A hunter in Kuruman allegedly shot a white rhino 14 or 15 times without killing it Fiona Macleod Kuruman’s favourite rhinoceros was slowly tortured to death in a municipal game reserve in the small Northern Cape town by hunters who did not want to shoot it in the head because they did not want to spoil their hunting trophy. The white rhino cow and her mate were town mascots in Kuruman’s Billy Duvenhage reserve, where they had served as tourist drawcards for the past 15 years. In May the cow was shot up to 15 times in the body and was left to bleed to death. Angry locals didn’t want the rhinos, which are an endangered species, to be hunted in the first place. When an American hunter offered to buy them two years ago, townsfolk signed petitions and put an end to his plans. But in early May the pair were sold on auction and were split up. The municipality says it sold the rhinos because they were not breeding, but locals believe this problem could have been overcome and the rhinos were sold because their long horns were prized by trophy hunters. The bull was sold for R170E000 to Douglas Fletcher of Sandhurst Safaris, a Northern Cape hunting outfit that has been implicated in various “canned” hunting incidents. He removed the bull from the reserve and it has since been shot. The cow was killed by a hunter from Herzogville on May 17 inside the 2E000ha reserve, a stone’s throw from the town centre. As the shooting continued throughout the day, a crowd gathered at the gates of the reserve. “The rhino was accustomed to people and vehicles, so it should have been like shooting a sitting duck,” says Chris Mercer, who runs an animal rehabilitation centre near Kuruman. “The hunter had a high-calibre rifle complete with telescopic sights, but he did not want to shoot her in the head in case this ruined the trophy. Presumably he was aiming at the heart, but he kept missing.” -An eyewitness who took part in the hunt says the rhino was wounded 14 or 15 times during the course of the day. The hunters pursued the cow in a bakkie and finally called in a helicopter to help. -“Eventually she fell forward on her knees and the bakkie was able to drive right up to her. Even then no one put a bullet into her head. She was allowed to die in this position, slowly drowning in her own blood,” says the witness, who does not want to be named for fear of retribution from the hunters. -White rhinos are listed in hunting manuals as almost extinct, with the exception of reserves in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Hunting associations have agreed to protective clauses for white rhinos, including that the client must be accompanied by a professional hunter, who must deliver the coup de grfce after the client has wounded the animal twice. In the case of the Kuruman cow, the client from Herzogville was accompanied by a professional hunter as well as the chair of the Kalahari Hunters’ and Game Conservation Association, Ronnie Viljoen. Viljoen disputes the number of times the rhino cow was shot, but the witness says he is trying to save face in the wake of the town’s indignation. The shooting is being investigated by both the National Council of SPCAs and the regional director of Northern Cape Conservation. l A pride of Kruger National Park lions has been sold to lion breeder and self- confessed “canned” hunter Piet Slabbert. The 13 lions, including eight cubs, were sold to Slabbert for R87E000 last month after they had twice escaped from the park and eaten the cattle of neighbouring communities.
Slabbert owns Boskoppies farm in the Free State, where he breeds lions, and a game farm in Waterpoort in Northern Province, where he takes hunting clients. He admitted on SABC’s 50/50 programme last year that he had no problem with hunting in “canned” conditions – shooting tame or drugged lions, or hunting them in small enclosures – because it was legal in the Free State and Northern Province. Douw Grobler, head of the Kruger’s game- capture team, said the park had stipulated the 13 lions could not be hunted and could only be used for tourism. “We have microchipped them so we can check on them if we need to,” he said.